Gen Con 2011, Wizards and Atari, Impact, LEGO, and a new Yu-Gi-Oh champion!

“INDIANAPOLIS (August 11, 2011) – Gen Con Indy, the nation’s largest annual consumer fantasy, sci-fi and adventure gaming convention experienced stunning growth this year. Turnstile attendance was over 119,707 with 36,733 unique attendees present for 96 hours of gaming, cosplay, music, shopping and more. This positive spike in turnout represents a greater than 20% increase in a single year. Game event participation grew even more steeply, with over 250,000 event tickets yielding an over 26% expansion throughout the Best Four Days In Gaming!”

“August 15, 2011 (Renton, WA) – Wizards of the Coast LLC, Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) and Atari, S.A. announced today the settlement and resolution of the complaint against Atari, S.A. and the counterclaims filed by Atari, S.A. against Hasbro, Inc. filed in December 2009 in regards to the Dungeons & Dragons brand.

Digital licensing rights for Dungeons & Dragons have been returned to Hasbro. Atari will continue to develop and market several games under license from Hasbro and Wizards, including the #1 Xbox LIVE® hit Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale and the upcoming Heroes of Neverwinter for Facebook. Additional settlement details remain private.

In addition, the acquisition of Cryptic Studios by Perfect World Entertainment Inc. from Atari in July 2011 has delayed the Neverwinter PC Game scheduled for release later this year. Perfect World will be investing in a more immersive experience for release in late 2012.”

“August 12, 2011- Forceball is a fast and futuristic sport card game for 2 players. Each match consists of three periods. A period starts with a face-off to decide who’s the attacker and who’s the defender, and then progresses with the players taking turns either attacking or defending. The period ends when all cards in the deck have been used, and the deck is then reshuffled for the next period.

During a period the attacker uses his attack maneuvers – Pass, Dribble or Shot – to try to score a goal. The defender uses his defense maneuvers – Block, Tackle or Interception – to try to prevent a goal. If the attacker scores a goal or the defender intercepts the ball, the roles are reversed and the game continues.

In addition to the regular attack and defense maneuvers, the players can use special maneuvers to score a lucky shot or intercept the ball using the goalie. It’s also possible to foul by making illegal maneuvers, but beware – you don’t want the referee to see you.

Forceball consists of 55 cards and is a complete game in itself, not a trading card game. The game is easy to learn, easy to carry around in your pocket, and a period takes less than 15 minutes. It’s suitable both as filler and for lengthy tournaments.”